Your mention of the many past uses for the wood of chestnut trees reminded me that when we moved to Washington, DC, to a house that had previously belonged to Jonathan's parents, and his grandparents before them, one of the many things left in the house was a small trestle dining table that his grandfather had built himself out of chestnut, possibly some time in the 1930s. It was too small to serve as a dining table for us, and we needed a coffee table, so Jonathan took it apart, cut down the legs and reassembled it as a perfectly sized low table which sits in front of our couch to this day.
How lucky you are! Those trees take so long to come to maturity, honouring them by turning them into something that lasts even longer and not firewood can't feel anything but good. Heirloom furniture - or anything else that comes with a history - can't be matched by IKEA.
On the subject of bad gifts:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtKQbM9laC8
Oh oh oh! This needs to be required reading - before wedding vows are exchanged!
Your mention of the many past uses for the wood of chestnut trees reminded me that when we moved to Washington, DC, to a house that had previously belonged to Jonathan's parents, and his grandparents before them, one of the many things left in the house was a small trestle dining table that his grandfather had built himself out of chestnut, possibly some time in the 1930s. It was too small to serve as a dining table for us, and we needed a coffee table, so Jonathan took it apart, cut down the legs and reassembled it as a perfectly sized low table which sits in front of our couch to this day.
How lucky you are! Those trees take so long to come to maturity, honouring them by turning them into something that lasts even longer and not firewood can't feel anything but good. Heirloom furniture - or anything else that comes with a history - can't be matched by IKEA.